Case 1
Key Points
- Often, anxiety can be alleviated by careful explanation, a sympathetic attitude and expert clinical management
- Drug sedation should not be used for operator convenience, but as a supplement to behavioural management. This procedure required a careful explanation and adequate analgesia
- Intravenous sedation would have alleviated his anxiety but unnecessarily prolonged his visit to the ED and exposed him to risk of serious adverse events
- It is never acceptable to inflict unnecessary pain on someone